Leaves, flowers, and fruits are edible. Fruits are highly prized and often gathered fresh. Leaves and flowers can be used in salads, teas, or cooked preparations [2-3]. Edible Uses & Rating: * Fresh berries. * Jams, preserves, and desserts. * Tea from leaves and flowers. * Young leaves as greens. Edibility Rating: 5/5. The fruits rank among the best native berries available to foragers [2-3]. Taste, Processing & Culinary Notes: Grayleaf strawberry fruits are intensely aromatic and sweet with balanced acidity. Many people consider them to have a superior flavor to cultivated strawberries. The leaves are somewhat astringent due to tannins, but make a pleasant herbal tea when dried [2-3]. The berries are excellent fresh and can also be dried, frozen, or preserved. Their small size limits large-scale harvesting, but not their culinary value [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): Flowering typically occurs from spring into early summer. Fruits ripen from June through July, extending later at higher elevations. Safety & Cautions: Generally regarded as very safe. As with all strawberries, occasional allergic reactions may occur in sensitive individuals. Harvest & Processing: Harvest berries when fully red and fragrant. Fruits bruise easily and are best consumed soon after collection [2-3].

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(Fragaria virginiana) The whole plant is antiseptic, astringent, emmenagogue, galactogogue and odontalgic[172]. It has been used to regulate the menstrual cycle[172]. A tea made from the leaves has been used as a nerve tonic and is slightly astringent[222]. A poultice made from the dried powdered leaves mixed with oil has been used to treat open sores[257]. A tea made from the roots is diuretic[222]. It has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea, irregular menses, gonorrhoea, stomach and lung ailments[222, 257].

One of the most desirable edible groundcovers of western North America. Pollinator Value: Flowers attract native bees, hoverflies, beetles, and numerous beneficial insects. The blossoms provide an important source of spring nectar. Wildlife Value: The fruits are eagerly consumed by birds, rodents, bears, foxes, and many other animals. Dense patches provide habitat for insects and small wildlife.

Special Uses